By now, most of us have heard of, and possibly used, Groupon – the website that specializes in offering deals on just about everything that you can imagine. I know so many people who have been able to try a new restaurant, taken dance lessons, joined a gym, found a new spa or salon, and even taken day trips for a fraction of what they would normally have to pay for such things.

Using Groupon is a great way to try out services/businesses for the first time or save money on a product or service that you already love. So you can imagine my excitement when I learned about Groupon Coupons!

What Is Groupon Coupons

Unlike the traditional Groupon service which is a great way to take part in local activities and services or find smaller, more regional businesses; Groupon Coupons provides a way for us to save money when shopping at larger stores.

They have partnered with over 8,600 national retailers to provide a completely free way for you to find thousands of coupons and exclusive promo codes from stores like Macy’s, Nordstrom, Best Buy, and Target. You can also enjoy deals on things like tax preparation with Turbo Tax, airfare with Hotwire, and flowers with FTD.

Groupon Coupons: Use It Or Lose It?

One of the other ways in which this new feature is different than the “traditional” Groupon offerings is that you do not have to put out money in advance of getting the service. Typically, a Groupon deal is purchased ahead of time and then redeemed by the deadline, and if you don’t take advantage of the deal, you will lose your money. So, if you get a deal for $300 worth of dance lessons at $75, you have to pay the $75 up front and if you fail to use the offer by the deadline, then you are out $75!

But as they specify with this new feature, “At Groupon Coupons, you don’t need to purchase anything to use these great savings offers. Choose from a database of over 55,000 completely free coupons from more than 8,000 stores.” So unlike the typical way of buying a discount in advance, this is a discount that you receive at the moment you actually buy a good or service.

In addition to the stores and services I listed above, they also have great deals set up with Sports Authority and Home Depot, so I would definitely suggest checking out Groupon Coupons before you purchase anything…we plan to!

Reader Questions:

Have you used either Groupon deals or the new Groupon Coupon before? If so, how did you enjoy the experience?

Have you ever purchased something because it was a great deal, but then you never or rarely used it?

Do you expect to visit the Groupon Coupons site before making your next purchase?

Even though tax season has come and gone for some, many people are still facing the prospect of getting a lump sum of money in the near future. Events such as graduations, birthdays, and unfortunately, deaths can lead to one getting their hands on a decent amount of money at one time.

Here are 5 great ways to put those windfalls to use…

Pay Off High Interest Debt

If your debt carries interest, then it most likely makes sense to use any extra money to pay off debt. That is because you will probably not be able to earn more interest with your money than you are paying in debt. Also, for a number of reasons, having debt is akin to financial bondage, so even if your interest isn’t 30%, it can still weigh you down financially, emotionally, and psychologically.

Save For Retirement

This is one of the most overlooked areas in finance. Yes, we hear a lot about saving for retirement with various commercials from the big money managers, and as the “baby boomers” generation moves into retirement age, we are constantly hearing about how they failed to save for their retirement.

However, every time I talk to someone younger than 45, they have very little saved for retirement and it’s not even on their radar! So, with this in mind, take the extra money and add it to your IRA, or throw it in the bank and use it to offset your income as you increase your 401k contributions.

Pay Down Your Mortgage

I listed mortgage separately from other debt, because they are usually taken out at much lower interest rates than credit cards, so people don’t consider their mortgage in their list of debts (which is a mistake in my opinion). Anything you can do to pay less interest overall and be in debt for a shorter period of time is a good thing!

Take your windfall and pay down the principal of your mortgage, as long as you don’t have any other debt that is charging a higher interest rate.

Save Money For A Big Expense

Many people are not able to save a large amount of money for certain large expenses such as, a new car, vacation, new computer, or some other big expense that’s expected in the future.

Since this isn’t part of most financial plans, it makes sense to use this extra cash to save for one or more of these expenses.

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